Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com
A new paper:
David M. Martill & Nizar Ibrahim (2015)
An unusual modification of the jaws in cf. Alanqa, a mid-Cretaceous
azhdarchid pterosaur from the Kem Kem beds of Morocco.
Cretaceous Research 53: 59–67
doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2014.11.001
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667114001918
A jaw bone attributed to the mid-Cretaceous azhdarchid pterosaur
Alanqa saharica Ibrahim et al., 2010 is described. The new specimen
from the Kem Kem beds of south eastern Morocco is unusual for the
presence of expanded rostral bones that protrude above the occlusal
surface of the jaws. The function of this unusual osteological
modification is uncertain, but it is considered likely that it served
a role in food processing, or perhaps jaw stability.